In the past, hunters have used various devices to call game, such as the ubiquitous tube call, in which air is blown through a mouthpiece and over a reed to generate sound. Other calls, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,451 issued to Ron M. Bean for a xe2x80x9cGame Call with Volume Controlxe2x80x9d, have used a flexible bellows or bulb attached to a tube call to eliminate the need for blowing through the mouthpiece. In both of these examples, sound is produced pneumatically by air flowing over a reed or diaphragm, which induces vibration.
While these calls have many advantages, they also have significant drawbacks.
First of all, the skill required to successfully operate a pneumatically driven call at a low volume is often more than is possessed by inexperienced or infrequent hunters and game callers.
Secondly, in some calls, the lower volume threshold for normal operation may exceed a desired volume level.
Thirdly, the calls using bellows and bulbs have often had limited operational characteristics, owing to the lessened control that a bellows often has in comparison to a mouth-blown call.
Consequently, there exists a need for improvement in game calling methods and apparatuses.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an easily operated game call having volume variation capabilities.
It is a feature of the present invention to include an adjustable sound output port.
It is an advantage of the present invention to allow for manipulation of the call volume in an easy-to-use fashion.
It is another advantage of the present invention to increase the certainty that the call will produce an appropriate sound.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for calling game which is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in an xe2x80x9cerror-less multi-volumexe2x80x9d approach in a sense that the amount of errant sounds, which often are produced when attempting to make a softer sound in a pneumatically driven call, is dramatically reduced.
Accordingly, the present invention is an apparatus and method for controlling the volume of a game call which includes a twistable and partially open sleeve disposed axially about an inner sound chamber with a sound port therein.